Question about removing a OS from dual boot

[Spike]

My setup is like this, my main hdd is a 40gb. I have my main c drive as a 5gb partition and the other 35gb as d. I have win98 installed on the c partition and winXP installed on the 35gb partition. How do I go about getting rid off 98? I want to just use fdisk and format C, but how will this affect my comp as my C drive is my main partition and it also is the drive that has my boot.ini file on it. Anyone have any ideas? thanks

-spike

 

[pamf]

if i was you, i'd wipe the 5gb partition and install xp on it.. 5gb is a perfect size for that (my xp is on a 2gb partition and its only slightly cramped).. after that you wont have 98 anymore, and you'll have a fresh install of xp which will boot off that drive. im not sure whether or not xp would set up the second partition to be bootable. after you have xp installed on the 5gb, you could copy whatever files you want from the installation on the other partition then delete the windows folder off that one.

if you just want to take win98 out of the boot loader, boot into xp, open control panel, system, advanced tab, and click settings under startup and recovery..
you can then click edit to edit the file for the boot loader.. take the entries for win98 out..

for reference, here's mine .. with xp on the first partition of the primary master hd:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

your xp one probably looks something like
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS

youd want to leave that if you choose to keep xp on the second partition.

afaik boot.ini is only stored on the hd for the purpose of editing it .. im pretty sure (but not absolutely sure) that its stored in the mbr of the hd after youre done messing with it..

id back up anything you dont want to lose first though .. never know what might go wrong.. hehe

 

[Mitzi]

FAQ : How do I remove an OS from dual boot?

 

[Spike]

lol, thanks mitzi, I did not see that FAQ. Also thanks to pamf for the help. I want to reinstall XP, but I don't want to reinstall all my programs on it... I know that I am just lazy but hey, I am a college student and that is my right! he he thanks again

-spike

 

[hoihtah]

if you have partition magic... it might save you some headache.

it can do all that... graphically.
re-arrange your harddrive... without reformatting.